When Alma arrives in Beirut with her boyfriend Eivind, who has taken a job with a humanitarian aid organization, she finds herself adrift in a city that feels both vibrant and impenetrable. While Eivind tries to make a difference in the lives of others, Alma spends her days wandering or alone in their rented apartment. Her only real conversations are with their landlord, Paul, who is full of unsolicited advice.
Everything changes when she meets Lisbet, the magnetic wife of a Norwegian diplomat. In Lisbet’s presence, Alma’s days take on a new intensity. But Lisbet’s attention is hard to hold, and when Eivind also begins to slip away into a larger world, Alma must fight not to be left behind.
Exchanges is a sharp, emotionally resonant novel about the roles we play and the ones we’re given, about guilt, authenticity, and what it means to live fully and truthfully.
